Inside School Walls
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: (A high school fic) 180 days, 2000 students, and hormones aglow! The WWE superstars finish their last years of school... What will happen? R&R please!
1. August 30th, 2004 : Homeroom

**Author's Note: **Okay, okay, so I did say I wasn't going to start any stories before I finished two. I admit it! I'm guilty! I'm addicted to writing! -sobs- I need a twelve-step program... Anyway, I'm settling in at GBHS (the high school) now, so sorry if there is less updates. I think I'm going to wait until I finish Always Watching before I post this... Anyway, please review!

**Note 2: **Okay, I'm ready to post! -deep breath- I hope you guys like this... And as a warning, this isn't going to be near as structured or directed as my other stories. Oh well. You've been warned! I hope you guys like this though! Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I own the story, and the detailed idea. The WWE-school-plague bit me, and I succumbed. The idea is a widespread one, but I hope mine is different from the rest... Anyways, the storylines are mine as well. The wrestlers are © of the WWE, and the odd original character I put in (i.e. another student, a teacher) belong to me.

**Distribution: **No where... Like it? Awesome! Want it? Take it. Need permission? Nope, just a link and credit to me for writing this story.

Onward!

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**Inside School Walls**

**Prologue** _- Homeroom_

Stacy Keibler smiled to herself as she made her way to her homeroom, her eyes watching as the freshman rushed to their room, maps in front of their nose, nervous about the first day of high school. Had it only been two years since she'd been one of the freshmen rushing to classes and so worried about school that she hadn't found time to enjoy it? Stacy shook her head as she turned down another crowded hallway. Her freshman year had yet to repeat itself, and she was sure that it wouldn't. This year was going to be great! Stacy was overjoyed to see her friends again. Sure, they hung out during the summer, but now she could see them on a daily basis, as well as some of her other friends that weren't too close to her as well. Just a couple weeks ago, she had become the captain of the pom-pom squad, which was quite a feat for a junior.

_Of course, there's another reason this year is gonna be so fun..._Stacy thought with a grin as she spotted her boyfriend up ahead of her, heading toward the homeroom they both shared. The blonde rushed up to him, darting around the people in the crowded hallway, and jumped onto him piggy-back style, dropping a kiss on his cheek when he recovered from the instinctive shock.

"Jesus Christ, Stace, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" he breathed, looking back her, and nevertheless smiling at her.

She threw her lower lip out and pouted. "So you're not happy to see me?" she asked, sliding off his back and taking stride next to him.

He rolled his eyes, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Not really," he replied, looking up ahead. "It means that I have to stop seeing all those sexy women I've been hanging out with over the summer," he told her, and then looked at her, lopsided grin on his face. "Nah, I'm just kidding with you."

Stacy punched his arm lightly with her free hand. "You'd better be," she retorted. The mock-angry look on her face vanished as she saw one of her best friends walking down the hallway. "Lita!" she shouted out, rushing toward her friend, nearly dragging her boyfriend with her. The redhead in question turned, her face brightening when she saw who it was, giving Stacy a hug. She was about to speak when a loud shrill bell cut her off, warning the students that they had a minute to get to their classes. Lita rolled her eyes.

"I've got to go, I've got Mr. Snikes for homeroom, and he's a jerk if you're not there on time," she told Stacy, and she nodded in agreement. "I've got to tell you something, but it'll wait until later," Lita added, and left. Stacy frowned. What could the redhead possibly have to tell her? It couldn't have been breaking up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Matt Hardy; Stacy knew that Matt had called it quits a few weeks ago, and besides, Lita hadn't looked...sad. It was hard to describe the look on the other teenager's face. A mix of happiness, tenseness, and worry jumbled together, maybe.

Stacy was still contemplating what Lita would tell her when she walked into her homeroom. Her boyfriend sat down at the nearest desk, tugging Stacy at the waist. She sat down on his lap, snuggling against him. The blonde's eyes scanned the room, seeing a few people she knew and liked, acknowledging them with a little wave. Her thoughts had returned to how great the year would be when her eyes fell on Trish Stratus. Stacy scowled suddenly, looking across the room at the busty blonde. She was sitting in the back of her seat, leaning forward to address the guy behind her, giving him a clear view of her cleavage and the rest of the room a view of her thong. Stacy gritted her teeth, receiving the familiar urge to strangle her. Between Stacy and her friends, they'd decided the cheerleader was a slut, and the biggest bitch, next only to her mentor: senior, head cheerleader Dawn Marie.

Suddenly, Trish's gaze swung over to her, her gaze cutting through Stacy Keibler and Randy Orton.

Stacy stared right back, narrowing her eyes. As the stare-down took place, Stacy was struck with the familiar thought that this year was going to be very, _very _interesting...

But now it was for all the wrong reasons.


	2. August 30th, 2004 : Third Hour

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who left a review! I hope you guys like this chapter, and please continue to review!

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**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 1** - _Third Hour_

Chris Jericho yawned widely as he sat in his third hour class. It was only the first day, and he was ready to go back and enjoy summer all over again. _It's only the first day, and already the gossip mill has started, _Chris added mentally. Neither he nor his girlfriend, Lilian Garcia, were gossip mongers, but both of them kept their ears open. It was always good to avoid stepping on toes of others at Massena High School. _Then again, I really don't have to worry about that much anymore, _Chris added, running a hand through his shoulder-length, blond hair, _I'm a senior now. _Shrugging off the thought, he stretched out his legs in front of him and let his eyes wander over the classroom.

The teacher had left the room to get copies of a supply list, and several students were taking advantage of it. In the back corner, Val Venis was making out with a much younger teenager. She was a nerdy-looking sophomore, and Chris guessed was experiencing her first make-out session by the way she kept grabbing Val's butt. Jericho smirked to himself, and decided to let them have their semi-privacy.

The gothic kids were grouped together, talking and listening to music. Chris caught the eye of the 'leader'-so to speak-and nodded. Ryan returned his nod, and then turned his eyes back to his girlfriend. Jericho moved his eyes yet again, but his thoughts were still on the group. He didn't understand what everyone had against them. Past all of the hair dye and different clothes, they were cool people. And couldn't the same be said for everyone else?

_Well, except for Dawn Marie... She can't count, because she doesn't have **any **clothes on, _Chris thought, his eyes falling on the head cheerleader. _She's not just the head of the squad; she's the head of the preps, _Jericho added mentally. _And Trish is her protégé... Scary, scary world. _Dawn was talking to John Cena, who nearly had hearts in his eyes. Chris shook his head, feeling sorry for his friend. Chris had tried to warn John away from Dawn Marie, knowing the brunette would simply use him. He himself had been down that road with Trish Stratus during his sophomore year, and no one could pay him enough to relive it.

"You're zoning out," Ivory, sitting to his left, told him. Chris looked over at her, raising his eyebrow.

"Was I that obvious?" he asked his good friend, and fellow senior. Ivory was wearing jeans and a tight shirt, a normal outfit for her. She was one of the few who didn't bother with her appearance much in the morning. _"Jeez I'm going to sit in stuffy rooms and be tortured for seven hours. Why do I have to look good for that?" _Ivory had asked him at one point, and Jericho had just laughed at her sense.

"Damn obvious," she affirmed. "Thinking about Lilian?" she asked teasingly a minute later. Chris's closeness and dedication to his girlfriend was something that Ivory was proud of him for—and also something she loved to tease him continually about. Chris rolled his eyes, and didn't reply until Ivory changed the subject. "So, Jerky, what has everyone cooked up over the summer?" Ivory asked. She had left for Australia two weeks before the end of school and had just returned a week ago.

"Well, right before the trip to Six Flags at the end of the year, Matt broke up with Lita again," he was about to continue when Ivory spoke.

"The little twit," she snapped, and proceeded onward with a barrage of swear words that Chris couldn't even remember off of the top of his head. When Ivory paused to take a breath, he slipped his words in.

"You done?" he asked, a lilting smile to his face.

She glowered at him. "For now," she replied darkly.

"Well, on the bus ride there—Lita and I were on the bus with nearly all of the preps, and Matt—we decided to get back at Matt. In summary, Matt's pants just happened to come down when he was at the front of the bus, and everyone saw that he was wearing a thong."

Ivory laughed heartily for a moment. "I wish I would've been there," she told him, her tone slightly wistful.

"Ah, you'll be there this year, and I'm sure it'll be more fun."

"I hope so. Anyway... What else happened?"

Chris entertained the urge to tell Ivory about what had happened with Lita recently, but in the end didn't, something he knew he would choose to do. If Lita wanted Ivory to know, then she would tell Ivory herself or direct Chris to do so. "Well, Kurt hooked up with some girl named Maryann when he was checking out the OVW campus," he informed Ivory.

Ivory raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked. Kurt Angle was a really nice guy, arrogant sometimes, but sweet. He, however, took his relationships quite seriously, which was a blessing among recent times. Angle wasn't known for just hooking up with some girl.

"Lita, Lil, and I inspected her. She's really nice."

"Does she live around here?"

"No, she lives further south, Albany, I think..." Chris said, and then shook his head. "They hung out all summer and dated all summer."

"And...now?"

"They both decided that 'with school coming up, it would be more stress than our relationship can handle'," he said, making rabbit ears in the air. "So they're not together... She's going to OVW next fall anyway, so they'll hook up then if Kurt doesn't come to his senses before then."

"You sound positive that they'll hook up," Ivory observed. She felt so out of the loop, and wished that she hadn't been forced to take that trip. Her mom and dad had to take a long business trip, and they brought her along, claiming that they didn't want her all alone on the other side of the world. Ivory knew better. They simply brought her to try and hook up with some of the executives' sons. They were all rich and snotty, except for one here and there, but no one that struck her as worth maintaining a relationship with.

"Are you kidding?" Chris laughed. "She's perfect for him." He paused, catching the wistful look in her eyes at his words. "Aw, come on, Iv. You'll meet a guy sometime soon you like."

Ivory smiled at Chris's reassurance, and laughed. "Sometimes I feel like the only senior that's still a virgin," she proclaimed. It wasn't quite true, but provocative preps seemed to rule both the senior class and junior class.

Chris wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm always here to give a little Vitamin C out to the needy," he told her and she rolled her eyes, playfully slapping his arm. He paused, and looked up at a gentle touch on his shoulder to see Torrie Wilson. She was wearing a sleeveless orange dress that ended mid-thigh as well as white knee-highs. Her blond hair was in loose curls around her face. Jericho flashed a smile, and she tentatively sat down next to him. Torrie was a junior, but ended up in a senior class. She was quiet, but kind. Chris had just begun to become her friend, but he noticed that around Lita, Ivory, and the rest of the girls, she loosened up, all shyness gone.

"Hey Chris," she said lightly, and moved her eyes to Ivory, nodding at her and greeting her warmly, "Ivory."

They didn't have any time to start a conversation as the teacher walked back into the room. Everyone had returned to their seats and looked just like when she had left. Throwing them a suspicious glare, the teacher began to hand out the supply lists. _Jesus Christ, _Chris thought, _like anyone is seriously not going to crumple these up and toss 'em on the way out. _He rolled his eyes, and yawned. The class droned onward, and Chris found himself zoning out. He looked around the room, and then back to Torrie. She had tuned the English teacher out as well, her eyes settled on a particular someone. Chris followed her gaze straight to John Cena, and John's eyes to Dawn Marie.

Chris Jericho groaned inwardly.

_Great way to start a year._


	3. August 30th, 2004 : Lunch

**Author's Note: **Okay, so the prologue was from Stacy's perspective of sorts, and so is this one, but I promise you it's not just going to be from Chris and Stacy. Anyway, there's going to be a lot of chapters setting things up for later, sorry. I hope you like it though! Please review!

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**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 2**

**Lunch**

Stacy Keibler allowed herself to be dragged out of the lunchroom by Lita, silently wondering what the redhead could possibly want to talk to her this bad about. Shrugging, Stacy took her hand from Lita's and followed her to the women's restroom. Her stomach rumbled, and Stacy was reminded of the lunch she had left sitting on the table next to Randy. _He's probably gobbling it down right now, _Stacy thought, smiling at just the simplest mention of Randy in her mind. Her smile vanished as Lita turned to her, anxiety firmly stretched across her face.

"Lita, what's going on?" Stacy asked, instantly concerned.

"Stacy...what I was going to tell you earlier..." Lita hesitated.

"Go on..." she encouraged.

"Well...Edge..." she rolled her eyes, and then said it. "Edge and I kissed."

Stacy blinked surprised. "You kissed?"

"Well...actually..." Lita winced. "We made out."

Stacy squealed, jumping up and down before engulfing Lita in a hug. "Oh my god! That's so awesome!" when she pulled back and realized that Lita wasn't quite as ecstatic as she, the blonde frowned. "Girl, what's the matter? Do you not like him back or something?"

"I don't know. I know I like him, I like him a lot, but..." Lita frowned.

"What?"

"Matt."

"What'd the bastard do now?" Stacy snapped. The blonde rarely swore, except on 'special occasions', as she preferred to put it. In her opinion, Matt Hardy was a special occasion every day of the week.

"He asked me out again," Lita answered, knowing full well that her friends didn't like the fact that she and Matt were an on-again-off-again couple, and that Matt was usually the one calling it off. Truth to be told, she didn't like it either. But Matt... He made her feel like nothing no other guy could.

_Ah, but you haven't given Edge a chance yet, _an inner voice persisted, but she ignored it.

Stacy clenched her jaw. "Please tell me that you're not considering saying yes."

Lita closed her eyes, and looked away for a moment. "Okay, say Randy broke up with you. If he asked you out again later would you say yes?"

"Yes," Stacy answered without hesitating.

"What if he broke up with you again?"

"Lita—"

"Stace, please, I'm just trying to get you to understand. Matt is the love of my life. I'd do anything for him," her eyes pleaded Stacy to understand. "No matter what he does, he still is that person."

Stacy looked Lita in the eyes. "Hear me out, Lita. You know that this time isn't going to be the last time he asks for you back, whether you deny him or accept and then get dumped. Just listen to me. Maybe you're wrong and he's not the love of your life. Maybe you've been wasting your time on Matt all along," she held up her finger when Lita tried to speak. "I'm not asking you to go without Matt indefinitely. What I'm saying is that I know you felt something with Edge, or otherwise you wouldn't have gone as far to make out with him. What if he, not Matt, is the love of your life? Just give the guy a chance. Matt's going to ask you out again if you say no now. _Take advantage _of that, Lita. _Please_," she pressed.

"I don't know..." Lita frowned.

"Think about it. Tell Matt that you need to think," Stacy insisted, and Lita nodded slowly.

"Okay," she whispered, and then smiled. "Well, I've got to do some business, so see you at the table," she said, waving and ducking into a stall.

"See you," Stacy replied, and left, hoping that Randy hadn't already eaten her lunch. _He is so buying me a new lunch if he so much as took a bite, _Stacy thought with a grin.

Lita yawned as she exited the bathroom and made her way to the lunch room once again. She was taken off guard when someone grabbed her by the wrist and tugged. The redhead turned, and was met with the site of Matt Hardy. He dropped her wrist immediately, as if just realizing what he did. "I'm sorry Lita, I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked, his eyes apologetic.

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm fine Mattie," she said, and winced, realizing that she let his pet name for him fall from her lips. Lita steeled herself for the question sure to come. _I need some time to think about it, Matt. _Yes. That would be her answer. _I love you, and I love being with you, but I just need to think about whether it's the best thing for both of us right now. _She nodded inwardly, satisfied with that answer.

"I suppose you know why I'm here," Matt said, looking at her and shuffling his feet awkwardly. It brought a small smile to her face, but she attempted to quell it almost immediately.

"Yeah, about that, Matt, I..." she took a breath, and then froze up. Here was Matt, her Matt, _her Mattie, _standing before her. He was so special to her in so many ways. How could she just give that up? She would be damned if she hadn't thoroughly enjoyed making out with Edge, but what if taking a chance on him meant losing Matt forever? What if Stacy was wrong? What if Matt really was the one, and she lost him? Lita hesitated, licking her lips.

Matt took her hand gently. "Lita, I know I've made some stupid choices, and the top ones are always letting you go. I can't tell you why I did those things, because I don't know myself. Please, Lita. I promise you, this time is going to be different."

_That's what you said the first time you broke up with me. And the second, the third, the fourth...and now the sixth. When will it end, Mattie? _She blocked out the thoughts in her head. "You say that a lot, Matt," was all she could say to his face.

"I know," he dropped his head in shame. "This time...it's going to be different. I'm not going to give up on us."

"I..."

"Lita, please. If I screw up, I promise that I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life," he looked her in the eyes. "Lita, I love you."

The redhead couldn't look him in the eyes. She felt her resolve dissolving. Matt truly loved her, and she him. Was it worth risking that to see what would develop between Edge and her? Lita turned her eyes back to Matt, and felt her heart melt. Stacy just didn't understand what it was like. Sure, an outsider's view was helpful...but Lita couldn't look at Matt and tell him no. They loved each other so much. When they were together it was like the past didn't matter. "Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too," she replied, and he hugged her tightly. She hugged him back.

"That does mean yes, right?" Matt asked, pulling away slightly.

"Yes," Lita confirmed, and he hugged her once more. The redhead tried to push away the stupid inner voice that kept sounding in her mind—she was sure Stacy had created the devil—but it persisted none the same.

_What have you gotten yourself into?_


	4. August 30th, 2004 : End of Lunch

**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 3**

**End of Lunch**

Stephanie McMahon looked around the lunch room for her friends, and smiled when she found them. The brunette quickly hurried over to them. Their group was pretty large. In a way, they were popular, but it never really hit any of them. Victoria, her boyfriend Billy Kidman, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guererro, Rob Van Dam, and Shane Helms were a few of the people that came and went. The root of their 'posse', as they jokingly referred to it as, consisted of Lita, Molly Holly, Stacy Keibler, John Cena, Torrie Wilson, Lilian Garcia, Chris Jericho, Edge, Kurt Angle, Ivory, Jaqueline, Jeff Hardy, Jackie Gayda, and herself. Stephanie flashed her friends a smile as she sat between Kurt and Edge. She noticed the tension immediately at the table, and frowned, turning to Edge. He seemed lost in thought, so she followed his stare down the row a few seats and saw what she had skipped over earlier: Matt Hardy with his arm wrapped around Lita. Stephanie frowned. All of them knew that Matt didn't deserve Lita, and they thought that they had gotten the point across to Lita.

Apparently not.

Knowing that there was nothing they could really do without angering the redhead, Stephanie busied herself with pouring dressing on her salad. A few minutes later, she frowned, sensing the lack of conversation. "I think we should take a vote," she announced out of no where.

Everyone turned to her, confused. "For what?" Lilian asked from her seat next to Chris.

"Who thinks my dad is an asshole?" Stephanie told them, and Jericho laughed.

"Princess, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't think Principal McMahon is not an asshole," he told her.

"He's giving a bad mark to the McMahon name," she grumbled.

Kurt looked over at her, raising his eyebrow. "I think you're the good mark on a bad family name," he told her.

She smiled. "Thank you, Kurt."

"Suck up," Jericho coughed, and Stephanie threw the wrapper from her straw at him. "Ow!" he turned to Lilian. "She hit my eye!"

"Oh, poor baby," she cooed sarcastically, unable to keep the smile off of her face for long.

"Some girlfriend you are," he said darkly, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Some boyfriend you are, getting beat up by the principal's daughter who, by the way, is wearing a denim dress. Dresses are hard enough to move in, but denim? If she can hurt you in one of those, I suppose I'm going to need a new Prince Charming," she fluttered her eyelashes and turned her eyes across the table at Randy Orton. "_You_ could be my knight in shining armor," she told him.

He scratched his chin in thought. "Hmm..." Randy pretended to consider it for a moment before all of them broke out in laughter. In her seat, Stephanie grinned. As the lunch progressed, the mood significantly uplifted, her mood took a spiral downward. Her thoughts returned to what had happened earlier that morning between she and her father.

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_Vince McMahon looked over his daughter with a strict eye. "That dress is cut too low," he said firmly. Stephanie, who had just come down the stairs, looked at her father, who was sitting in a chair in the kitchen, not far away at all, the newspaper across his lap. She gritted her teeth in frustration. They did this every morning._

"_Its fine, Daddy," she said relatively calmly. "It's not like my boobs aren't hanging out, like some girls in the school," Stephanie added sourly._

_Frowning at her use of language, he preceded to demeanor her outfit. "It's too short in the bottom too. Jesus, Stephanie, can't you buy clothes that actually fit? You go to school looking like a hooker."_

_Stephanie set her jaw, defiantly glaring at him. "What I wear is none of your business."_

"_When you go to school looking like a slut, it makes it my business, because people expect my daughter to follow the rules!" Vince responded._

"_You know what, Daddy dearest?"_

"_What?"_

"_Go to hell!" she spat, and whirled on the heel of her black shoe, walking toward the door angrily. As she yanked the heavy wood door open, she could sense her father's presence behind her._

_"You know what would straighten you out?"_

"_What?" she asked, her tone scathing, wishing that the door would just open already._

"_A boyfriend. Mind you, not the idiotic, classless boys you are friends with, but someone like...like Hunter Hemsley. Now** he** would set you straight," Vince announced._

_Stephanie whirled around to face him, her face contorting. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she told him. "Hunter is a pure-bred asshole, but now I realize why you want me to date him. You know why? Because he's just like you. Controlling, verbally abusive, egotistical, dickless, and a jerk, to say the least," the door opened and she stepped through it. "And as for my friends? Don't ever, **ever **insult them again."_

_The door slammed._

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Stephanie gave a little victorious smile at the memory. She and her father were always fighting over things like that, and it felt nice to have said the last word this time.

Her thoughts were distracted as Shawn Michaels sat down across from her. Shawn was a nice guy, and he hung out with them every once in a while. He was intelligent, but slacked in school. Shawn loved to be a pain-in-the-ass.

He was just the guy her father would hate to have her date.

"Hey, Steph," Shawn greeted, tapping his fingers against the table in some rhythm only he could hear. Stephanie had never admitted it to anyone, but she had always found Shawn sexy and admirable. The crush on him that she'd obtained when she was a freshman and still couldn't seem to shake didn't help either. _So why don't you take advantage? _Stephanie asked herself, _you can get Dad off his rocker by dating Shawn...and you get all that you want._

"Hey Shawn," she said, giving him a special smile. The smile on his face changed, and Stephanie felt a shiver go down her spine as she leaned forward, immediately making conversation between them.

Vince McMahon always got what he wanted, and he wanted her to date Hunter Hemsley.

But she was Stephanie, Daddy's little girl.

And she always got what she wanted, too.

And she wanted Shawn Michaels.


	5. August 30th, 2004 : Fifth Hour

**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 4**

Lilian Garcia settled down in a chair at the dining room table of her house, letting her head fall off her shoulders and relaxing. She had been glad that she got to leave during fourth hour to go to a doctor's appointment, but now that she was back, she found herself wishing she was at school. Unlike a lot of the people, Lilian enjoyed school. Sure, the homework and everything was overwhelming at times, but it was fun. The blonde traced the edge of the placemat with her fingertip, her eyes moving between her hand motion and her mother sorting through the cabinets in the kitchen.

"So how was school today, honey?" her mother asked, glancing over at Lilian, who smiled.

"It was fun, seeing all of my friends again," she told her, "My teachers are okay," she added as an afterthought. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot to remind you. Chris got the tickets to the concert I told you about." Her mother paused, pushing her dirty blond hair behind her ears. "What?" Lilian asked, her brow furrowing at her mother's silence.

Her mother, Lori, set the Tupperware dish she had in her hands down, walking closer to Lilian until she was near the opposite end of the table. "Lilian, sweetheart," she hesitated. Lilian cocked her head, her eyes frozen, waiting for the finish of the sentence. "I don't want you going to that concert."

Lilian was sure she felt her jaw drop. "But Mom!" she protested. "You said I could go! You know how much I've been looking forward to this!"

Lori was not waved. "I'm sorry, dear, but some things in life you just can't have."

The blonde felt her muscles tense beneath her. "W-Why not?" she asked. "It's not as if it's just going to be a bunch of teenagers! Chris's parents are going, and his sister and her husband! We're not going to do anything stupid, jeez."

"It's not that," her mother sighed. "It's the fact that you're going with Chris."

There was a cool feeling gathering in the pit of Lilian's stomach. "What do you mean?" she snapped, her throat constricting on her.

Lori sat down on the chair across from her. "Lil, please hear me out. Promise me you will."

"No," Lilian replied almost immediately, all traces of a smile gone from her face. It was all too obvious that this had something to do with Chris, and she was not going to promise to be quiet. Lori just sighed once more.

"I don't want you to continue seeing Chris."

The statement caught Lilian completely off-guard. She had been expecting something about Chris—but this? After a few moments spent gaping at her mother, the blonde responded. "What the heck do you mean by that?" Lori reached across the table to cover her daughter's hands with her own, but Lilian snatched them back, her eyes glaring into her mother. "Answer me!" she demanded, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Honey, please at least try to listen. You're _sixteen _years old!"

"I'm turning seventeen," Lilian told her, as if it had any relevance.

"I don't care! You're too young!" Lori took a deep, calming breath. "You and Chris have been going out for a while now, and I'm worried."

"Why are you worried?" the whole conversation was rubbing Lilian the wrong way. "Chris is a great guy, he's nice, sweet, he—"

"I'm worried about how _close _you're getting to him," her mother interrupted, and Lilian gaped at her. "You've been all over the place with him, going places or talking for hours nearly every day, meeting all of his family... There has to be a line drawn. I don't want you getting tied down too early in life. Chris is not the love of your life, he is a high school sweetheart and I don't think you realize that Lilian."

Lilian stood up abruptly. Her chair fell over, the loud clatter making Lori jump in her seat. Lilian bit down on her tongue, forcing the tears in her eyes to remain at bay. "You're forbidding me to see Chris," she repeated slowly.

"Yes."

Her palms slammed down on the table, her bracelets clanking against each other. "I love Chris. What don't you get about that? If things go wrong, I'm not going to string anyone along. But right now, we're great together. He's the best thing in my life. Hell, I love him more than I love you," Lilian felt her anger taking hold of her. She immediately felt guilty for the last sentence she'd squeezed in, but she was hurt, too. How could her mother not understand? How could she do this to her? Lilian turned on her heel, grabbed the messenger bag sitting on one of the empty seats, and ran through the hallway.

"Where are you going?" her mother called after her.

Lilian didn't answer, her shoes slamming against the stairs as she flew up them. She could hear her mom's movements in the kitchen; hear her standing up. The blonde jerked open her bedroom door and slammed it, feeling some tiny sense of victory at the loud booming sound. With finality, she flipped the lock on the doorknob.

"Lilian!" her mother's voice was coming closer. She felt the tears rolling down her face, the choked sobs beginning to escape. Lilian pushed herself off of the door and stumbled toward her bed, shuffling through the CDs piled across the comforter, finally pulling out a burnt copy of Three Days Grace's debut CD. Chris had given it to her, saying that they were a good band. Lilian had only listened to it once or twice. It was okay, but Chris was more of the rock fan. But now, she popped the CD into her stereo, flipping the volume up until her mother's voice was drowned out.

Lilian threw herself onto the bed, ignoring the CD cases jutting into her back. The tears rolled down her face as minutes passed by, sobs surpassing her throat every now and then, angry and desperate thoughts jumbled into an emotional mess in her mind. As the CD changed to the third track, she heard her mother, clattering away back in the kitchen.

It hurt twice as bad, though she wouldn't admit it, knowing her mother wasn't concerned about this enough to see if she was halfway alright. As the chorus of the song came around once more, Lilian found herself singing along in a tear-induced throaty voice. "_I...hate everything about you/Why...do I love you? /I...hate everything about you/Why...do I love you?_" she pushed the tears away from her face. "Can you hear me, Mom?" she shouted, though knowing Lori couldn't possibly hear her over the music. "Can you hear me?" she whispered, drawing her knees to her chest and sobbing.

Chris Jericho was the best thing in her life.

But now her mother had forbidden her from being with him.

_What am I going to do?_


	6. August 30th, 2004 : End of School

**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 5**

Lita sighed to herself as she made her way to the buses. She really didn't want to be alone with any of her friends, especially Stacy. God, she knew how much the blonde would rip on her for going out with Matt again... It was something that she wasn't looking forward to at all. Try as she might, Stacy never really could understand when it came to Matt. The redhead felt a little pang of jealousy as she thought of Randy and Stacy. They never had any problems! Never! Stacy had laced one of the biggest 'playboys' in the school and literally had him in the palm of her hand, he was so happy with their relationship. Lita swallowed, pushing the jealousy away from her thoughts, sickened that the feeling had overcome her.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder just as she was stepping onto the sidewalk. Lita whirled around, and felt every muscle in her body snap to attention, realizing that it was Edge. She inwardly cursed and struggled to keep the surprise on her face there, lest any other emotion show. His steely eyes met hers. "We need to talk."

* * *

Stephanie McMahon sighed to herself as she clambered onto her bus. How sad was this? She was the principal's daughter, she had a perfectly good car, but her dad forced her to ride the bus everyday in order to provide a 'proper example of standard quality and trust in our system'. _Whatever, _Stephanie thought crossly, setting her books down in her lap, staring outside of the window at all of the students moving around, going to their cars and buses.

"Hello, baby," her eyes snapped up to see Hunter Hearst Hemsley slide next to her. She glared at him.

"Number one, I'm not your baby, and I'll never be. Number two, someone is going to sit there, so I'd suggest you move."

"And if I don't?" he suggested, a smirk on her face.

"Then I'll tell Daddy you were being a jerk," she said with a sweet smile. All feelings for her father aside, he'd do anything to make sure the school maintained a good image.

Well, except enforce the dress code on anyone else but her.

"One day you'll miss me, Stephanie," he whispered, and moved out of her seat, and went back and to the left a seat. Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, the day hell freezes over," she muttered crossly.

"So who's your friend?" Hunter asked from his spot. Stephanie continued looking straight ahead, completely ignoring him as Shawn Michaels stepped onto the bus with that grace of his.

"Shawn!" Stephanie called, waving to him. He smiled, and walked over to her, sitting down beside her.

Stephanie grinned at the incredulous look on Hunter's face.

* * *

Lilian Garcia was sure that she had already paced a rut through the floor. Over the booming noise from the CD playing, she had pondered, considered, contemplated, and mulled over her situation. Yet...she was still at square one. There was no way that she could see out of this.

_Chris could find a way._

The thought was a stray one, but it hit her with promise. Lilian grinned, flashing a glance at her clock. Chris would be on his way home about now. He always had his cell phone on, no matter what the school rules were. She smiled, rushing toward the jade portable phone and picking it up.

There was no dial tone. Lilian frowned, pressing the 'TALK' button a few times when a voice came over the phone: her mother's voice.

"Don't even _think _about calling Chris, young lady," she said in a dark voice. "I expect you to be down here for dinner at six, and I want to be here when you call to break up with Chris. I—"

Lilian slammed her thumb down on the 'TALK' button, hanging up, her heart pounding in her chest. The sense of helplessness that claimed her before did so now. She sunk down on her bed. She desperately needed to talk to Chris without her mother interfering. _And just the notion is stupid! What are you doing, Lilian? _she asked herself. _You're not going to do anything against the rules, you've never done something like that._

The blonde felt her eyes travel to the window in her room. As if drawn to it, she walked toward it. Suddenly, she made her decision, her fingers working around the screen frame, and then using the crank to open the actual window. Lilian was suddenly grateful for the roof siding beneath her window. She closed the curtains in her room, and shimmied out the window. The roofing was loose and slippery, but her feet slid to a good position. Carefully, she pulled one screen out and replaced it, and then the other. Lilian pushed her body weight against the open windows. The first shut with a bang. The blonde froze, certain her mother had heard it, but she heard no noises from inside or out. She carefully pushed the other one so there was just enough room to grip the window to come back in. Lilian slid feet-first to the edge, swinging off of it, her hands gripping the gutter. She winced at the sudden jolts of discomfort and pain along her fingers, and let go. Even though she landed in the grass, the small fall still hurt.

She wiped her hands on her clothes, not caring about their condition much. Her heart continued to pound in her chest, but she knew by instinct that she couldn't remain there long without being spotted. She couldn't rely on the neighbors, they would surely tell her mother. Lilian frowned. The school was barely a ten minute walk. There were pay phones she could use to call Chris on the outside. Done reasoning, Lilian began to run in the direction of the school, ignoring the derogatory thoughts in her head.

_Because, after all, _she reasoned, _there's a first time for everything._


	7. August 30th, 2004 : Ride home

**Inside School Walls**

**Chapter 6**

"I'm going to miss my bus," Lita told Edge, saying the first thing that came to mind. He just looked at her, his face not betraying any emotion. Lita fidgeted and swallowed before him, extremely uncomfortable.

"You'll ride home with me," Edge answered predictably, and jerked his head in the direction of the benches that surrounded the edges of the sidewalk. "Let's talk over there." He waited for her to cross in front of him, and followed her closely. Lita bowed her head, knowing that there was no way out of the mess she had gotten herself into. _If I could just grow a backbone none of this would happen, _Lita thought wryly. _When I'm with Matt, taking him back seems like the best thing I should've done, but when I'm not it seems like the stupidest. _She sat down stiffly on the bench, and Edge sat next to her. They both sat in silence, watching the flow of students slowly decrease. "Lita…" he paused, and raked his hand through his blond hair. "I want to know what's going on between us. One minute we seem to be hooking up, and the next you're going out with Matt."

Lita bowed her head, finding comfort in the mask of dyed strands. _Oh come on, _she told herself, _you knew this conversation was going to happen. Get it over with. _She sighed, looking over at him. His face provided no concern or remorse for her current trauma. "Edge, I'm not going to lie to you, okay? I love Matt, and I always will. When we kissed… I thought I was on to a good thing, I really did. Edge, I really did like you. It's just… Today, when Matt asked me out again," she sighed again, unable to put her thoughts into words for a moment. "You're always supposed to be with the guy you love, right?"

Edge just looked at his hands, and finally shook his head as he looked at her. He grabbed his backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and took the keys to his car out. "I never thought you were the type of person who used people," he said simply as he stood, and turned, beginning to walk toward the parking lot. Lita took only a second to grab her messenger bag, and was speed walking after him.

"What the hell do you mean?" she demanded, wishing she could see his face. He ignored her for the time being and kept walking. Lita tossed her hair behind her shoulders, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"Get in," he said simply as they reached the car.

The silence that hung over them during the car ride was maddening. Lita tried to keep her anger in check desperately, but she was still reeling from his comment. _What does he mean, that he never thought I was the type to use people? I don't use people!_ She felt the muscle in her jaw clench as they passed by familiar surroundings. Lita finally got fed up with the silence, and decided to break it. "What did you mean, I use people? I want an answer this time!" she demanded crossly.

The brief moment that Edge took to look at her was spent giving her an icy glare. A millisecond later, his eyes were back on the road. "What did you think I mean? You **used**me, Lita," he told her.

"I did not!" Lita cried indignantly, her eyes flashing.

Edge put his foot on the brake for a stop sign, applying a little more pressure than need be. "You said it yourself. _I love Matt and I always will_," he mimicked, and shook his head. "And apparently, you've known that all along. **My **question is: Why did **you **string me along like we'd actually get together?"

Lita sputtered for a second, taken aback. "Wha…What?" she bit her lip. "Look, Edge, no matter what you think I really thought we were going to get together."

"Until Matt came around again," Edge interjected cruelly.

The redhead felt the anger bubbling within her, but snapped her mouth shut as they pulled into the driveway to her house. The redhead swallowed tightly, opening the door as soon as they stopped. She stood by it for a moment after she exited, staring at Edge. "If you were my friend, you'd understand me."

"But I'm not." For what seemed like the hundredth time in that day, Lita was surprised. His eyes narrowed at her. "I can't stand to be within two yards of you right now, let alone friends. Frankly, you disgust me," the words poured from the pit of anger in his stomach. "Face it, Lita. You're afraid of change. Every time you go back to Matt it's because you think it will be as good as last time. Each time from now on that Matt comes back to you, you're going to date him again, because you're **weak**," he stared at her for a moment more, and then shifted gears backing out of the driveway. "Goodbye, Lita."

And with that, he was gone.

Lita stood there for a minute, shocked and chilled to the bone. Slowly, she made her way into her ranch-style home, the white door shutting softly behind her. Edge's words echoed through her mind, and her emotions ran rampant. She wasn't sure what was going on inside her own head, but she wanted to get away from it all.

"So, how was the first day of school?" Lita's mother, who had been sitting at the kitchen counter when she walked in, asked. Lita turned to her, but didn't say anything.

The redhead dropped her bag and ran for her room, leaving her mother dumbfounded.

"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" she asked to the empty room.

* * *

**Author's Note: **After the next chappy, it will finally be the next day! I hadn't meant to put so much stuff in on one day, but whatever! I hope you guys liked it! Thanks to all of those who have reviewed, and please keep them coming!


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